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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26893561">A Bell Like Revelation</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaskeHD/pseuds/WaskeHD'>WaskeHD</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, One Shot, POV Female Character</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 22:06:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,877</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26893561</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaskeHD/pseuds/WaskeHD</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
      <p>Hey Peeps &lt;3</p><p>Just wrote this because I couldn't focus enough on Stumbling. </p><p>Some might say that I stumbled on my words in that one. </p><p>So this is technically a One-Shot with a lot of potential for me to turn it into a longer story, but it is a One-Shot so far.</p><p>I would love if you could tell me if my thoughts on Katie's mind and character makes sense to you and if you like it. Still as much a Character Writer as before &lt;3</p><p>I will not continue on this story (If I continue on it) until I am done with Stumbling &lt;3</p><p>Enjoy<br/>Waske<br/>xXx</p>
    </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Katie Bell/Harry Potter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>66</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Bell Like Revelation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hey Peeps &lt;3</p><p>Just wrote this because I couldn't focus enough on Stumbling. </p><p>Some might say that I stumbled on my words in that one. </p><p>So this is technically a One-Shot with a lot of potential for me to turn it into a longer story, but it is a One-Shot so far.</p><p>I would love if you could tell me if my thoughts on Katie's mind and character makes sense to you and if you like it. Still as much a Character Writer as before &lt;3</p><p>I will not continue on this story (If I continue on it) until I am done with Stumbling &lt;3</p><p>Enjoy<br/>Waske<br/>xXx</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She had somewhat enjoyed the Tri-Wizard Tournament like everyone else. She would never have admitted it to Oliver but not having to focus on his insane Quidditch schedule during her O.W.L. year was a blessing in disguise even if he had graduated Hogwarts the summer before. She wasn’t even surprised that he had become the reserve Keeper for the Puddlemere United. Oliver Wood could have gotten only a single N.E.W.T. and it would have been alright to him. It had always been Quidditch or nothing. She just hoped it panned out for him. Quidditch wasn’t the safest choice of career. One bad injury and you might never play again. That’s why she didn’t want to put her all her eggs in the same Quidditch basket. She enjoyed the game immensely and she might have a dream to play it professionally. She wasn’t sure if she was good enough, but she might be.</p><p>It had kind of become her identity since her second year at Hogwarts. She had joined a completely new team it felt like. Angelina and Alicia had only played in the reserve their previous year and Fred and George had been the beaters. Charlie their previous Captain had graduated. The twins had said something about dragons or something, but she had never really bothered or cared to find out. Oliver had been the only veteran in their new team and their try outs had been terrible.</p><p>It had been rather intimidating being one of the only second years who had had the bravery to actually show up. From what Oliver had said the team had more or less been written off even while Charlie had still been their seeker. They were just too young and inexperienced to actually perform as well as the teams with seventh years in the other houses. Everyone around her had looked so big but somehow, she had still been chosen as the third chaser for the team. That’s who she was “Katie Bell the third chaser”.</p><p>She tried not to hold it against everyone. The chaser trio was a unit and there was supposed to be no ranking between them, but anyone with a bit of a brain for the game would see that Angelina was their leader. She was the one who chose the plays during matches and Alicia was the top scorer. Katie… well she supposed she was the one who made sure that Angelina and Alicia got a chance to score. She didn’t <em>really </em>have a problem with it but she always felt like the odd one out. She had noticed it during her second year when she had just joined the team. Oliver treated them all equally and she was thankful for that. He had been almost sixteen at the time and he had seemed so big to her. She had been just twelve after all. Angelina and Alicia had been a little like big sisters, but it was obvious that they had been friends with Fred and George since their first year.</p><p>Right… back to the try-outs. It had been a disaster. She had never thought that people would be so bad on a broomstick. There had not been a single one including her own year who could play seeker well enough. Hell, she might even had been a better seeker if it wasn’t for the fact that she had meshed so well with Angelina and Alicia. She had supposed that Oliver would have gotten someone else to play instead of her and make her play seeker instead. It would have been fine even if she was sure she wouldn’t have been as good at it. Sometimes you just knew that stuff.</p><p>She had been right of course. Oliver had made one of the fourth years whom she knew was a worse flier than herself the third chaser after he had groaned something about not getting the Quidditch Cup this year and that it was a ‘rebuilding year’ or something. He had pulled her aside and told her that he would do his best to find someone who could play Seeker so she could go back to playing Chaser. She had asked how he had wanted her to train but he had just told her to catch the snitch, like that had been any way to prepare a Seeker.</p><p>Then a week later Oliver had burst into the common room and signalled for her to get closer. He had told her something about Harry Potter being the new Seeker and that she was back to being a Chaser. That might have been the time when she realized that she was the ‘third’ Chaser. She was the worst of them so it would be the smallest loss for their offence if she was to be moved around. It had been a hit to her ego that’s for sure. She of course knew who Harry Potter was. Everybody did. She had grown up with the stories about him like pretty much everybody else her age probably had. She had found them amazing at first and fantastical which had turned into them being silly until her first year at Hogwarts where she had actually begun learning how difficult magic was and she realized that the stories were quite likely just that, stories. It had only been cemented further when she like everybody else had spotted him during his sorting.</p><p>He had been tiny. Like far too small compared to everyone around him. His skin also looked a little stretched around his face. He didn’t at all look like someone who could wrestle a troll before breakfast. That had been the thing which had shattered the illusion. It didn’t take much logic to realize that someone had made up the stories.</p><p>She had tried talking to him during practice but with Oliver shouting at them all the time and them being in different position not to mention different changing rooms she hadn’t got much of a chance. She had noticed that he sat with Fred and George’s younger brother during meals. If the brother was anything like his brothers, then he couldn’t be that much of a bad bloke.</p><p>She remembered how nervous both of them had been during their first match. She had barely been able to play. She knew they were far better than they were supposed to be, but honestly, she didn’t think that anyone on the team had any aspirations of actually winning the Quidditch Cup. They had three years to actually win it before Oliver graduated.</p><p>Oliver had told everyone that he wanted to win the Cup. She did too. Everyone on the team did, but Angelina and Alicia had told her while changing that she shouldn’t take Oliver too seriously. He had to say all that stuff to push them harder and not let them get complacent, but he wasn’t all too worried about it at least this year.</p><p>She supposed that Fred and George had told Harry the same before the match, or maybe they hadn’t, now that she thought about it. Funny how looking at a large maze in their Quidditch Pitch made you think about the times, you had spent there before. They would sometimes be able to see into the larger squares around the maze, but the smaller passageways were pretty much blocked from view.</p><p>They had won that first game. Harry’s broom had gone wonky in the middle of the game. Oliver had been certain that one of the seventh year Slytherin’s had cursed it after the game. Sabotage, he had called it. Harry had still somehow managed to get the Snitch and as soon as he did the broom had stopped being wonky. She had been so worried for him, she remembered with a small smile. What did you expect? She had been twelve and someone looked like he was just about to take a nosedive from god knows how far up.</p><p>That game had changed something about their practices with Wood. She had begun calling him Wood then because his training schedule had begun feeling like torture, wooden torture. Somehow, they had gone from a rebuilding year to a winning chance. Wood had been insane, she thought to herself. Well, he had always been insane.</p><p>The only other things from that year she remembered was the time when Harry had somehow lost them one hundred and fifty points for the House Cup. She had been angry with everybody. Sure, Fred and George lost points constantly, but they equally gained the same amount. She supposed Harry had done the same. That was the thing, they had just been about to play the Championship game, but he had been in the Hospital Wing for some unknown reason. She had checked up on him of course. The whole team had, she still thought that Wood had only done that because he wanted to ask Madam Pomfrey whether Harry could fly a broom and play the game. She had gotten to stay as the Chaser during that game, but their replacement seeker had been atrocious, so they had lost the game. Wood had been muttering about rebuilding years all over again. She hadn’t been all that mad about that. It wasn’t Harry’s fault that he had ended up in the Hospital Wing after all. She had been worried for him when she had visited him. She had sat beside him and read some of her textbooks when nobody else was around in case he had woken up. They had all done that. Her, Angelina, Alicia, Fred, George, Ron was his name and that Granger girl. Wood had been occupied with his O.W.L.s, so he had begged off.</p><p>Then Dumbledore had made up some bollocks reason for awarding Harry and his two friends a buttload of points at the leaving feast and they had somehow managed to win the House Cup in the end. Those one hundred and fifty points that he had lost. They were forgiven as far as she was concerned.</p><p>Her third year had been terrible. It had been terrible for everyone. The Chamber of Secrets had been opened and people had gotten petrified left and right. She was afraid that she was going to get attacked by the Heir of Slytherin at every corner. She was a Half-Blood after all. Then that awful Duelling Club had happened, and she had found out that Harry was a Parselmouth. She had heard all sorts of stories about how that was a sign of a Dark Wizard. She was still ashamed of how she had behaved back then. She had probably ruined any chance of her being a close friend to Harry with her behaviour. It certainly didn’t help that Hermione Granger; Harry’s friend had been petrified as well.</p><p>Quidditch had been cancelled too, so she didn’t even have a chance to apologize to him without making a scene. Harry had good reason not to hang around her after her poor behaviour. It still left her with a bitter taste in her mouth two years later. Fred and George had told the team that it had been a cursed Diary which their little sister had been writing in that had somehow opened the Chamber and that Harry had run headlong in to save her with their brother Ron. They had been asked not to talk about it because they didn’t want people to go after Ginny when she couldn’t have helped it but they still wanted to make sure that the whole team knew what Harry had done for them. That’s when she had started to think that maybe the stories had got one thing right about Harry Potter. He was either stupid enough or brave enough to go save the people who needed saving. Even if he didn’t wrestle with trolls in his spare time.</p><p>Her fourth year had been much the same as every other year. The Dementors certainly made the whole mood of the school moodier and she had heard rumours in the beginning of the year that Harry had fainted when the Dementor on the train had moved the train. She had read up on Dementors after that. It had been some dark reading. She had felt their effects and it had made her shudder to think what Harry would experience close to one. She remembered every time she had been mean to someone or when someone had been mean to her. She especially remembered how she had treated Harry badly. She had a suspicion that Harry’s memory was on a whole different level. She also found out that it didn’t make you weak that a dementor had a worse effect on you it just mean that you had worse memories they could draw on. She had wanted to know what Harry heard when the dementors was near him, but she had never asked. That was an incredible personal question to ask.</p><p>
  <em>Hey Harry, I’d just like to know what your worst memories are.</em>
</p><p>Yeah, no matter how curious she was about that she would never ask that question. She had lost the chance to be Harry’s confidant in that way. She sometimes envied Hermione for that. She would probably know everything about Harry. That year Wood had gone insane with Quidditch. She had hoped she would have a chance to talk to Harry again like their first year on the team together but Wood had made sure that except for Quidditch talk they would be too exhausted to say another word. Her vocabulary had definitely been expanded after Quidditch Practice during that year. Alicia might not have the same boisterous personality that Angelina had but her vocabulary when she was angry was like renascence poet who had both gotten drunk, been slapped, and given a welly by a pair of Slytherins.</p><p>Then their first match against Hufflepuff had happened and the dementors had swarmed the pitch. She had screamed so loudly when Harry had slipped from his broom and fallen probably a hundred feet from the air. She had never been so scared in her life. Thankfully, nothing terribly bad had happened well except for Harry’s broom being smashed by that goddamn insane tree on the grounds. Who in the bloody hell had thought that planting a psychotic tree on the grounds of a school had been a good thing? She had been there when the Twins had shown the broom to Harry in the Hospital Wing. He had tried to soldier on, but it was obvious that he had been devastated by the few pieces they had been able to collect. Her heart had broken a little for him. She would have been just as devastated if it had been her broom.</p><p>She had tried to stay a little longer to maybe talk to him, but she had been removed along with the rest of the team by Madam Pomfrey. She had wanted to come back and maybe try and apologize for her behaviour during the previous year the next day but he had already been released from the Hospital Wing the next morning and she had lost her chance.</p><p>He had told them all that he was working on a solution on his dementor problem and that he would do his best not to be a burden to the team. He had never been a burden in her eyes. He practically clinched most of their victories.</p><p>She had been surprised when he had gotten a Firebolt as a Christmas present. She hadn’t been there to see it and by the time she came back from the Christmas holidays, she had heard what had happened from Fred and George. Hermione Granger the bitch had gone behind Harry’s back and reported it to Professor McGonagall who had confiscated the broom. She didn’t care for the broom at all. Sure, it was a great broom and in all honesty it was probably a little overkill for a school game but it was the fact that his supposed best friend had deemed it okay to go behind Harry’s back which had annoyed her. She honestly didn’t see what he saw in her and that only frustrated her more.</p><p>What did he see in her?! And why didn’t he see anything in herself? It hadn’t even mattered in the end. The broom had been okay, and he had gotten it back before their next match against Ravenclaw. She had almost screamed again when she saw what she thought had been three dementors flying up during the match. Her eyes had moved to Harry who was still chasing the Snitch leaving that Chang girl far behind him when she saw something she hadn’t even imagined. Harry had done what she thought would be impossible. He had learned the Patronus Charm. She had found it while reading about dementors earlier in the year, but she had thought it impossible for Harry to learn it. She had tried herself because that had only made logical sense in her mind with the dementors being around the school.</p><p>Not only that, his Patronus was corporeal. That was supposed to be damn near impossible for most people. A bright Stag had torpedoed the dementors and he had caught the Snitch to seal the game. She had been so proud of him for both of those. Then she had turned her head back to watch the dementors. Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle had been sprawling on the ground. She had almost seen red at that. It was <em>not fucking funny</em> to do something like that. She had almost flown down to exact her own punishment on the idiots. They were trying to make fun of Harry.</p><p>In the end she hadn’t needed to do anything of the sort. Professor McGonagall had been livid. She had torn into the three of them with everything she had. She herself hoped that they would end up with detentions for the rest of the year preferably licking toilet bowls to make them clean.</p><p>They had won the Cup that year. Wood had been overjoyed and had definitely gotten drunk at that party. Harry had been sitting in his own corner with a butterbeer. She had sat beside him for a time. It was the first time in ages that she had had even a moment to talk to him. They hadn’t gotten to talk about anything that she actually wanted to talk about that night before she had been pulled away from him by Angelina and Alicia to celebrate some more. She had kept an eye on him, and he didn’t seem to be all that interested in the party. His eyes were more sad than happy as she had thought they would be.</p><p>She had wanted to go to him and ask why he wasn’t happy, but he was soon surrounded by Ron and Hermione once more. She hadn’t had a chance to talk to him before they left the school that year. Harry had ended up in the Hospital Wing and this time both Ron and Hermione had joined him. She wasn’t even sure what they had been up to, and she had long since stopped believing in any rumours circulating about Harry. She would be there if he ever needed someone to talk and she would never fail to believe him if he ever opened up to her.</p><p>Then this shitshow of a year had happened. Sure, she had been excited at first for the Tri-Wizard Tournament. She had even supported Angelina when she had decided to join it. She had laughed alongside everybody when Fred and George the fools had tried to circumvent the Age-Line and had grown long beards. She had awed the same way everybody else was when Viktor Krum had arrived at the school. She had been annoyed with probably every other female when that French Champion Delacour had made a drooling mess of everybody. Alright, maybe not Harry but he wasn’t looking at her either and she wasn’t really sure why it annoyed her so. She had trailed his eyes towards the Chang girl and had decided that she was in no way good enough for Harry. It was like a big sister situation. She knew who would be best for him. It certainly wasn’t that Chang. Hermione had lost that privilege after last year. She might have been good for Harry before she thought she was clever enough to know what was best for Harry. The Weasley girl was just annoying. Yeah, sure after getting saved by Harry, she could understand why being saved by Harry would make you crush on him in that way but the way she showed that crush and the almost possessiveness that she seemed to have of the boy was a bit too much in Katie’s personally humble opinion.</p><p>No, Harry could do much better than those three. He could even do better than that French woman too. She had been happy enough with Cedric for Hogwarts champion. Everybody was at least indifferent to Cedric. He was the safe bet on the most generally popular guy in the school. Most people would even go so far to say they liked Cedric. He was handsome, hardworking, and kind. The safe choice in Katie’s opinion. That’s when shit had hit the fan as her dad would put it. Harry’s name had come out of that infernal goblet.</p><p>It had taken her one look at Harry’s face to know exactly what had happened. He had not put his name in the Goblet of Fire. He was scared and resigned with a hint of anger. Like this had happened to him before. How could this had happened to him before? That made no sense to her. She watched as he walked down the Great Hall. His shoulders squared and his feet steady but his head was down. Her heart went out to him once more. She wanted to reach out with her hand as well.</p><p>She had watched as everyone turned on him. The Gryffindors had thought it was a chance for them to grab at glory and Harry hadn’t helped in that he had vehemently denied his entry. She knew that he hadn’t entered. Hermione and Ron likely trusted him as well but the rest of them didn’t. They couldn’t understand him at all. Harry had more fame than he knew what do with. He probably wanted a year where he didn’t spend time in the Hospital Wing too.</p><p>She had been silently furious with Ron. That traitorous little shit had gone and thought that Harry had wanted it. He didn’t see the dark circles under Harry’s eyes which were becoming more prominent as the days passed. She had watched as those horrendous badges became more and more popular at the school. She was about to rip someone head off at that point. Hermione at least hadn’t abandoned Harry this year. Maybe, she should step in to help him, but it was her O.W.L. year and she wasn’t quite sure she had any right to help him. She had given him hints and even told him if he needed any help, she would answer his questions, but he had told her he was supposed to do it by himself.</p><p>Then the First Task had arrived, and she had almost felt sick. She was sitting there in the rafters overlooking the gladiatorial pit. They had heard that the Champions were supposed to face dragons. Living, fire breathing, vicious, semi-sentient, reptilian killing machines, dragons. She had never felt as worried for Harry’s life as she had in that moment. Watching the other champions come out one by one didn’t even fill her with excitement any longer. Sure, Cedric had done some impressive transfiguration, Krum had thrown a curse that made the dragon go bananas and the French bint had somehow charmed her dragon asleep. She had had to reluctantly admit that it was an impressive piece of magic, reluctantly. Harry had done something so incredibly stupid and so incredibly… well <em>him</em>. He had summoned his firebolt and outflown the dragon. Her heart had beaten faster than she had ever thought possible and her throat had been so dry.</p><p>When the lizard had scratched Harry, she had felt like skinning it alive and making a nice pair of boots of its skin. How <em>dare </em>it hurt Harry?! She saw him grab the egg and get out of the pit before finally sighed in relief. Then she just felt pride in him. Pride in how well he had flown and how he had survived the task. She had seriously begun to question the organizers’ sanity.</p><p>Of course, Gryffindor had another party. Sure, go ahead celebrate that one of <em>their own</em> almost fucking died. What glory? She had ended up sitting in a corner with her butterbeer and just watching. Watching him if she was being honest. Something she had done more this year than she had done before. He had been looking better with a smile on his face than she had seen him in weeks. Then he had opened the egg. What a noise that had been. It almost sounded like what she imagined Chang would sound like singing in the shower.</p><p>The next big thing that had happened was the Yule Ball. Professor McGonagall had told them. She had told them about it and with a very pointed comment about how they were not supposed to act like great big bumbling baboons. That one had likely been about Fred and George. She had looked forward to it like any other girl at the school. She had been asked by Lee Jordan after Fred had asked Angelina and George had asked Alicia. She had said yes since she didn’t have anyone special, she wanted to go with more than him and Lee had been fun. Until she had realised the whole evening that she had been staring at Harry. He had gone with Patil or something. He hadn’t looked all that happy about it either. She had been annoyed when he had still been eyeing that Chang. She almost felt bad for him. She had gone with Cedric. He was too good for her as well. Well, honestly? Cedric was probably too good for everybody. Still, it had hurt to watch him like that. Wait, it had hurt?</p><p>Never mind that though. She had watched as he had dived into that Merlin forsaken cold lake in February and watched him battle Grindylows in the reeds on the Scrying spell suspended over the Lake. She had watched as he had waited like the foolish kind man he was. He had even saved that Delacours’ hostage again making her question the Organizers’ sanity. Seriously, hostages? Maybe it made it more high stakes but that still hadn’t been an excuse to make other people part of this idiocy. It had had nothing to do with the fact that French tart had kissed Harry on the cheeks. Not at all. The fact that Ron had been deemed as the one thing he would sorely miss. The only part that was right about that was that he was a thing.</p><p>Then she had had all her O.W.L. preparation and exams to prepare for. She had just finished them the day before and felt pretty good about how she had done and that had led her to right now. Looking back on it she should probably had realized it sooner. She liked Harry. She might even have liked him a lot sooner. If he had asked her to go to the Yule Ball something might have happened.</p><p>She felt herself being on tenterhooks as she tried to follow him throughout the maze. If he survived tonight, she would ask him out. She had nothing to lose. It might be a little awkward next school year if he said no, but that is why asking before the summer made sense. They would have almost three months apart from each other. Hopefully, enough time for her to get over her insane embarrassment if she was turned down.</p><p>She didn’t even care who won at this point. She just wanted it to be over. If he lost, then maybe he needed a shoulder to comfort him in his disappointment. Maybe the relief that it was all over and that he had survived. How many times did he have to survive so far?</p><p>She was interrupted by a flash of red sparks coming up from one of the corridors. One of the Champions had bowed out. She hoped it wasn’t Harry or maybe she did. If it was Harry, she hoped that they would hurry up and save him. She watched as Professor Flitwick opened up the maze and showed everyone who had been disqualified. She breathed a sigh of relief when Delacour got saved from what looked like a Devil’s Snare. Of course, they would put Devil Snare in the hedge. Why not put a deadly plant which would strangle you.</p><p>Seeing Fleur Delacour getting levitated out of the maze hadn’t exactly helped on her nerves if anything it had only made them worse. She had begun biting her nails. Her Mum had tried to get her to quit the bad habit but she would still fall do it when she was feeling stressed out and sitting in a situation where the boy you like might be in danger was one of the most stressful situations she had ever been in. Another scream penetrated the air. It sounded suspiciously like Cedric. She winced and drew in a sharp breath. Every nightmare scenario was playing through her head. It didn’t take long before another stream of red sparks sprinkled up into the air from another part in the maze closer to the middle.</p><p>She waited with bated breath as Professor McGonagall split the maze in two. She was a little surprised to find Viktor Krum getting levitated out. She could have sworn that it was Cedric who had screamed only just a minute before. She must have mistaken Cedric for Viktor Krum or something. That had been pretty close to the centre of the maze from what she could see. Hopefully, that meant that it would all be over soon. She breathed in deeply trying to gather some calm. She knew that both Harry and Cedric wouldn’t do something to each other. She hadn’t been so sure that either Krum or Delacour would have extended the same level of sportsmanship, but they had already been removed from the Task.</p><p>She breathed a sigh of relief when the fireworks which announced the end of the Task sprung into the air. No matter whether Harry won or lost the one thing she wanted right now was to see him safe. He likely would be rather banged up if Delacour or Krum was any indication, but she just wanted to see him. She frowned when nobody had arrived in the middle of the open spot in front of the Maze. The Cup had been charmed to portkey them to the front whoever grabbed it, so why hadn’t they arrived. The handlers had already begun moving into the maze to take care of the creatures. She sincerely hoped that none of the last two Blast-Ended Skrewts had survived the task. Hagrid was insane for having crossbred Manticores with Firecrabs. She might hate Skeeter as much as the next one especially the one article about Harry and Hermione. She didn’t think they were together but what if they were? It had been the talk of the common room since the article came out. She hoped that it wasn’t. She didn’t want to seem like she was competing with Hermione or trying to steal her man if that was the case.</p><p>She began looking around, trying to gauge the different expressions on the peoples faces. Dumbledore was frowning but it looked like he wasn’t surprised like the rest of them. She watched as Snape whispered something in his ear. Dumbledore looked almost happy? When he heard whatever the greasy professor said. She hoped it was good news. Maybe Snape knew something that others didn’t. Karkaroff was gone. Ludo Bagman looked nervous? She honestly couldn’t tell. The Minister was taking it in stride but she noticed that he was fumbling around with his bowler hat as he did so. That was definitely a sign of something having gone wrong.</p><p>She heard a gasp and a thunk and returned her gaze to the open spot. Harry? And Cedric?! Why was Cedric lying still on the ground and what was it Harry was shouting? Cedric was dead? Oh no, no, no, no, no. Why didn’t they come back sooner? It had been almost half an hour.</p><p>She watched as people surrounded the two and began making her way down there too. She wanted to see Harry. She saw Professor Moody drag Harry off and Fudge looked purple in his face. She saw some of the injuries Harry had on his body. His leg was definitely busted and bleeding quite badly. His left forearm looked torn and a long red line was bleeding down his hand.</p><p>Wait? Why wasn’t Professor Moody dragging him to the Hospital Tent where the other champions had been taken? Why were they moving towards the Castle? This might be what they called Gryffindor stupidity, but she decided to follow them. Maybe it had been so long that Madam Pomfrey had moved the other champions to the Hospital Wing. She couldn’t fault Moody for bringing Harry to someone who could look after his injuries and he was the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor so he probably knew the most about what sort of injuries Harry was suffering short of a Healer.</p><p>She followed them and noticed that something was wrong. They weren’t moving towards the Hospital Wing. They were moving towards Moody’s Office. That wasn’t right. She knew that the man could quite literally see through the back of his head but then why hadn’t he spotted her already. She wasn’t that sneaky. Nowhere near the level of the Twins. She was good enough to escape Filch if he wasn’t hell bent on catching her but that was about it. What happened to ‘Constant Vigilance’?</p><p>She stopped when she saw Moody pull Harry through the door to his Office and stood there waiting. She debated whether she should go back and get someone. She waited maybe half a minute before she decided to get help. Something was seriously wrong. She had just managed to turn the corner when she spotted Professor Dumbledore marching towards her with his wand raised.</p><p>“Where are they?” he asked.</p><p>“Moody’s office,” Katie yelped. “It just seemed wrong that Professor Moody would drag Harry up here.”</p><p>“It is,” Dumbledore said and rushed past.</p><p>Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall, and Flitwick were moving towards the door and she saw something she had never thought she would see a professor do before. They blasted down the door, hinges and all. She crept closer but she didn’t want to be in the way or out of line. She would wait until something else happened. She saw Snape marching out and almost running down towards his dungeons forgetting or not caring enough to sneer at her while doing so.</p><p>She looked after him until she heard a voice behind her.</p><p>“I’m sorry, Miss Bell,” Professor McGonagall said. “I think it would be best if you rejoined the others back at your common room. There have been some unforeseen developments.”</p><p>“Is Cedric dead?” Katie whispered.</p><p>“I’m afraid so,” Professor McGonagall said. “We have likely caught the culprit responsible for that.”</p><p>“Professor Moody?!”</p><p>“No, an imposter,” Professor McGonagall said. “Now go. You will all hear more later. Thank you for telling us where they were. I am sure Mr. Potter would appreciate it if you visited him in the Hospital Wing tomorrow.”</p><p>“Is he alright?” Katie asked.</p><p>“He will be,” Professor McGonagall said. “Now off you go.”</p><p>Katie turned around and stalked back to the Gryffindor Tower. She would definitely visit Harry in the Hospital Wing tomorrow to get some answers straight from the source. She found a somewhat subdued celebration going on in the common room. They had all seen Harry with the cup, but nobody knew what was going on. She looked around the room and found Hermione sitting by herself looking tear stricken. She made her way over to her and sat down opposite her.</p><p>“Hi,” she said.</p><p>“Hi,” Hermione said. “I don’t think we have ever been introduced. Hermione Granger.”</p><p>“Katie Bell,” she said. “No, but I know who you are. Harry’s…”</p><p>“Best friend,” Hermione groaned followed by a little giggle. “Thank you for not assuming anything.”</p><p>“So,” Katie said. “I don’t know what I am supposed to say right now.”</p><p>“Why are you here?” Hermione asked.</p><p>“I want to know about Harry,” Katie said. “He was taken by an imposter Moody to his office. Professor McGonagall says he will be alright.”</p><p>“Why do you want to know about Harry?” Hermione asked suspiciously.</p><p>“I fancy him,” Katie said straight forwardly. “I was going to tell him myself tomorrow. I don’t know if he would give me a chance but I fancy him and I’d like for him to know.”</p><p>“Oh,” Hermione said wide-eyed.</p><p>“Is that a problem?” Katie asked nervously.</p><p>“No,” Hermione said quickly. “No.”</p><p>“So nothing is going on between you?” Katie asked.</p><p>“Not in that way,” Hermione said. “Look, Harry is my best friend, but he is like my brother. I’m like his sister.”</p><p>Katie released a breath that she hadn’t noticed she had been holding. She was a little surprised when Hermione giggled.</p><p>“What’s so funny?” Katie asked.</p><p>“Oh, it’s nothing really,” Hermione said. “It’s just Viktor asked Harry the same thing. He fancies me quite a bit but I’m not so sure. He is a bit older and he lives in Bulgaria.”</p><p>“Wow,” Katie said. “Viktor Krum fancies you.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Hermione said. “Don’t tell anybody. I don’t want people to know.”</p><p>“Understandable,” Katie said. “Rita Skeeter would go insane.”</p><p>“No,” Hermione said mischievously. “No, she wouldn’t.”</p><p>“Come on,” Katie said. “She would go bananas for a news story like that.”</p><p>“I know,” Hermione said. “It’s just that she a little bugged out at the moment. She has been restrained in her ability to write.”</p><p>“Oh,” Katie said. “Come to think of it. I didn’t see her at the Task.”</p><p>“She wasn’t,” Hermione said. “So, you fancy Harry?”</p><p>Katie blushed. She knew she had been foolish but if anyone knew anything about Harry it would be Hermione, she supposed.</p><p>“Yeah,” Katie said sheepishly. “I think I have fancied him for quite some time.”</p><p>“Why haven’t you said anything?” Hermione said.</p><p>“Isn’t the guy supposed to take the first step?” Katie fired back.</p><p>“Don’t expect Harry to do that,” Hermione laughed. “He doesn’t understand something like that. He had a crush on Cho.”</p><p>Katie gritted her teeth and almost growled before deflating and grabbing a butterbeer from the table.</p><p>“So, I should just give up?” Katie asked.</p><p>“No,” Hermione said. “Absolutely not. You should tell him that you fancy him. The Cho thing is probably just because he thinks she is pretty. Also… I don’t think it would be healthy even if they started something now.”</p><p>“Why not?” Katie asked.</p><p>Hermione sighed.</p><p>“Look,” Hermione said. “There are some things I want you to think about when it comes to Harry.”</p><p>Katie sat back and sipped her drink. She listened to how Harry always felt that people just wanted to know him for his fame and that if Katie ever wanted a real chance with Harry that she had to be sincere to the point of bluntness. How Harry was a private person even if it was impossible for him to be so. Katie found that Hermione was describing Harry just as she had seen him be. It wasn’t all that hard to see that Harry wanted to be acknowledged for things he achieved himself. Like Quidditch, Katie thought to herself. He didn’t shy away if you complemented him on his ability to fly. It was something that wasn’t related to whatever hyphenated name was popular in the Prophet at the moment.</p><p>“How many times has Harry almost died?” Katie asked suddenly.</p><p>She wasn’t surprised to find that Hermione looked shocked followed by sad. It told her more than she would have liked. She had always thought it was suspicious that Harry ended up in the Hospital Wing at the end of the year. It seemed almost… like something insane happened to him every year at this school, but that couldn’t be right. Where were the teachers?</p><p>“Define almost dead,” Hermione said sadly.</p><p>“Like dead dead,” Katie said. “How many?”</p><p>“Too many,” Hermione said. “At this point it is almost like it is par for the course that Harry almost dies a couple of times a year. Did you know how we became friends?”</p><p>“No,” Katie said. “I didn’t really get to talk to him outside of Quidditch practice. I thought you guys just met on the train and then got sorted into the same house and then you became friends.”</p><p>“Harry and Ron saved me from the troll on Halloween in our first year,” Hermione smiled. “I think we all three almost died two or three times each that year.”</p><p>“Wait what?!” Katie spluttered her butterbeer out onto the table.</p><p>“Yeah,” Hermione smiled. “I had been crying in the bathroom because Ron had been mean to me in Charms and then Harry came and rescued me.”</p><p>“I thought you said Ron and Harry came,” Katie pointed out.</p><p>“Well they both did,” Hermione shrugged. “I think Ron wouldn’t have come if Harry hadn’t dragged him. That’s the thing about him. He just jumps in to save whoever needs saving no matter the danger to himself. I owed him my life.”</p><p>“Owed?” Katie asked.</p><p>“Oh,” Hermione giggled. “At this point I think Harry owes me actually, but who is counting. That’s how Harry and I became friends. Just a casual troll on a Halloween.”</p><p>“Wow,” Katie said. “He is even more impressive than I thought he was. That’s kind of hot.”</p><p>Hermione smirked knowingly at the girl in front of her.</p><p>“If that’s your type,” Hermione said.</p><p>“Hey,” Katie said with a mock scowl. “It is very much my type, and who are you to point fingers Mrs. Krum?”</p><p>“Wha-wha-what?” Hermione stammered.</p><p>“Don’t worry,” Katie said. “I’m just messing with you, but seriously. They are both dark haired, Seekers and absolute insane when it comes to their own safety. You are sure that you don’t fancy Harry?”</p><p>“No,” Hermione said calmly. “I would probably be comfortable exploring such things with him but I don’t fancy him. He would be the safe option. I love him but just not that way.”</p><p>“So, I am good to give it a shot?” Katie asked once more.</p><p>“I want you to give it a shot,” Hermione said. “I couldn’t be happier if it turned out alright. Why haven’t you said something earlier?”</p><p>“Oh,” Katie said. “I…”</p><p>“It’s alright,” Hermione said.</p><p>“Right,” Katie said. “Well, you remember two years ago. The whole Chamber of Secrets thing?”</p><p>“I was petrified,” Hermione said. “Yeah, I remember.”</p><p>“Well, I was kind of a bitch to him back then,” Katie said nervously. “I think I was too ashamed.”</p><p>“Katie,” Hermione said moving over next to her. “Harry isn’t even going to remember who was being a git back then. Trust me. He likes you and I remember you being rather vocal in that you believed in him earlier this year. You even offered to help.”</p><p>“He told me he had to do it himself,” Katie said.</p><p>“He didn’t,” Hermione said. “It’s just… it’s just been him, me and the other years Ron that we are so used to doing everything by ourselves.”</p><p>“What do you mean ‘<em>everything</em>’?” Katie asked.</p><p>“Those are Harry’s stories to tell,” Hermione said cryptically.</p><p>Katie frowned but sipped her butterbeer only to find it empty.</p><p>“I should probably go to bed,” Katie said. “I want to visit before breakfast tomorrow.”</p><p>“Katie,” Hermione grabbed her hand. “I wasn’t trying to be mean. It’s just… how do I say it… Harry wouldn’t want you to be awestruck or something at what he has been through. He doesn’t see it as something impressive, if anything he hates talking about what has happened to him…”</p><p>“So, if you tell me about it,” Katie said slowly. “It would be like going behind his back.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Hermione said releasing Katie’s hand. “Also, Harry would definitely not like it if you knew so much without him saying anything. If there is one thing he doesn’t like it is rumours and lies about him.”</p><p>“Got it,” Katie said. “I’m still going to go sleep. I wasn’t kidding. I am going to be there before breakfast tomorrow.”</p><p>“Do you want me to join?” Hermione asked.</p><p>“Would you mind?” Katie said.</p><p>She grinded her foot into the carpet.</p><p>“Not at all,” Hermione smiled. “I don’t know if you have noticed it, but I don’t really have all that many friends and I don’t even think I have a girlfriend except for maybe Ginny but she is more like Ron’s sister than my friend.”</p><p>“After that?” Katie said. “I would more than like to be your friend as long as I don’t have to battle a troll to be one.”</p><p>“That’s okay,” Hermione said. “You could just wrestle a dragon of something.”</p><p>“Please tell me that Harry hasn’t wrestled a dragon,” Katie paled.</p><p>Hermione giggled before she shook her head.</p><p>“Phew,” Katie said.</p><p>“He hasn’t wrestled one,” Hermione said. “But I did help him smuggle one in first year and then he did outfly one earlier this one.”</p><p>“Shit,” Katie cursed. “What do you mean smuggled a dragon?”</p><p>Hermione quickly told Katie about how Hagrid had hatched a dragon in his wooden hut in her second year and how Harry and Hermione had gotten help from Ron’s brother to take the baby dragon to a reserve in Romania.</p><p>Katie just looked shocked when the story was over.</p><p>“I assume that wasn’t all that wild of a story to you guys,” she said.</p><p>“Not even close,” Hermione smiled. “Don’t let it scare you. Harry is definitely worth it.”</p><p>“I know he is,” Katie said with a little heat. “I’ve watched him since he arrived.”</p><p>“Why didn’t you do something before?” Hermione asked.</p><p>“Well, I had my friends, and he had his,” Katie said. “Also, we had Quidditch together. It isn’t my fault that Quidditch is cancelled half the years in this place.”</p><p>“I guess not,” Hermione giggled. “Tomorrow?”</p><p>“I’m an early riser,” Katie said. “Should I just wake you up?”</p><p>“Oh, me too,” Hermione said. “Ron is really the only one who sleeps in. I like to get a head start on my reading in the mornings before Ron gets ready for the day.”</p><p>“Good call,” Katie said. “I do the same or sometimes I go for a run on the grounds.”</p><p>“Goodnight Katie,” Hermione said. “See you in the morning.”</p><p>“Goodnight Hermione,” Katie said.</p><p> </p><p>Katie had almost begun to get cold feet when she arrived in front of the Hospital Wing next to Hermione.</p><p>“I’m not sure if this is such a good idea after all,” Katie said.</p><p>“You still fancy him?” Hermione asked.</p><p>“Of course, I do,” Katie growled.</p><p>“Then it is a good idea,” Hermione said briskly. “Come on.”</p><p>Hermione didn’t even wait for an answer before she opened the door and walked in.</p><p>“Miss Granger,” Madam Pomfrey said disapprovingly. “I suppose you are here to disturb Mr. Potter.”</p><p>“Yes,” Hermione said brightly. “Same bed as always?”</p><p>“I should get him a plaque on it,” Madam Pomfrey groused. “With the things you and Mr. Potter get up to… I am surprised I don’t find you in a hospital bed more often, Miss Granger.”</p><p>“You know me, Madam Pomfrey,” Hermione said. “I try to stay out of trouble. When does he wake up?”</p><p>“Around noon,” Madam Pomfrey said. “You are quite early.”</p><p>“It’s easier to be here when he wakes up when I know what you have put in him,” Hermione said sadly.</p><p>“Miss Bell,” Madam Pomfrey said. “Here to visit Mr. Potter as well?”</p><p>“Yes, Madam Pomfrey,” Katie said.</p><p>“Well,” she said with a small smile. “He isn’t going to be waking anytime soon. You should both head to breakfast.”</p><p>“Is Professor Dumbledore going to have a talk with him when he wakes up?” Hermione asked.</p><p>“No,” Madam Pomfrey said. “He just needs to rest until the leaving feast.”</p><p>“Good,” Hermione said. “Then we’ll be back when he wakes up. Could you keep people out until Katie has had a chance to speak with him?”</p><p>“Hermione!” Katie squeaked in outrage.</p><p>“I’ll see what I can do,” Madam Pomfrey smiled. “I’ll see you around noon.”</p><p> </p><p>Katie found herself becoming more and more nervous the closer it got to when Harry would wake up. She had decided to skip lunch because she wasn’t even close to feeling hungry. She had barely even eaten breakfast. So, she decided to head back to the Hospital Wing with a book to read while waiting for Harry to wake up. She wasn’t really sure what she was reading at this point. She knew it was her Charms book, but she wasn’t really paying attention to it.</p><p>She heard a stirring next to her and her eyes moved from her book to the bed beside her. She couldn’t contain her smile when she heard Harry groan a little before his eyes fluttered open. She instinctively grabbed his glasses from the nightstand next to him and handed them out to his outstretched hand.</p><p>“Katie?!” he spluttered.</p><p>“Good morning Harry,” Katie said with a hint of a blush.</p><p>“Why are you here?” Harry asked. “Not that you can’t be here.” He continued quickly.</p><p>“I wanted to wait until you woke up,” Katie said. “How are you?”</p><p>“I’m fine,” Harry said automatically.</p><p>“Okay,” Katie said with a small smile.</p><p>“Wait,” Harry said. “That’s new.”</p><p>“What?” Katie asked.</p><p>“Nobody has just said ‘okay’ before,” Harry grinned a little.</p><p>“I know that we aren’t close like you and Hermione,” Katie said. “So, I wasn’t expecting you to talk about what happened last night or anything for that matter.”</p><p>“Oh,” Harry said.</p><p>She noticed that he looked relieved at that. She closed her book and laid it on her lap. This was it. She was going to confess to him, while he was in a hospital bed. What on earth was she thinking?</p><p>“Why <em>are </em>you here?” Harry asked again.</p><p>Katie breathed in deeply before she looked down into her lap. She should probably look at him.</p><p>“IfancyyouquiteabitandIwasthinkingthatyoumightwanttoIdon’tknowspendadayorsowithmetotalkorsomething?”</p><p>“I’m not sure I caught that,” Harry chuckled. “That was Hermione levels of speed.”</p><p>“Harry,” Katie said looking straight at him.</p><p>She was sure that she was blushing quite fiercely. Ugh, this is why it is the guy who is supposed to do this.</p><p>“I quite fancy you,” Katie said more bravely than she felt. “I know you probably don’t fancy me like that, but would you at least give me a chance?”</p><p>She watched him as he first looked shocked before he blushed probably as much as she did.</p><p>“Uhm,” Harry said. “You really fancy me?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Katie whispered. “I really do.”</p><p>“I don’t understand,” Harry said.</p><p>“It started with me watching you a lot,” Katie said. “Not in a creepy way… Just whenever anything happened to you and I think you are quite cute, and you look good on a broom and you are fun to be around and… I’m rambling.”</p><p>“A little,” Harry chuckled. “It’s cute.”</p><p>Katie’s eyes widened before a silly smile spread on her face.</p><p>“So?” she asked hopefully.</p><p>“I’ve never thought about it before,” Harry said honestly. “Also… Cedric just died.”</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Katie said, her smile disappearing instantly.</p><p>“He’s back,” Harry said.</p><p>“Who?” Katie asked.</p><p>“Voldemort,” Harry said grimly. “Voldemort is back.”</p><p>Katie shuddered as she heard the name being spoken. She could feel herself panicking as she thought about what he had just said. She didn’t want to believe it but she had promised herself that she wouldn’t doubt Harry again. She didn’t know what to do. There were so many things going through her head that she just started crying.</p><p>She didn’t even realise what she was doing before she felt an awkward pat on the shoulder. She looked up and found tired weary eyes looking at her with understanding. She did the only thing she could think of. It was what her Mum always did when she was feeling emotional. She hugged Harry tightly and buried her head in his chest. She did feel him stiffen under her but right now she didn’t care. Something must have happened last night for him to say that and Cedric was dead and here she was thinking about her stupid crush and oh, she was so stupid. She felt a set of hesitant arms around her back. She leaned closer into him and somehow everything seemed just that tiny bit less horrible for the moment.</p><p>They were interrupted by the door opening behind them. Katie rushed away from Harry and furiously wiped away at her face to hide that she had been crying. She turned to find Hermione and Ron standing in the door. Ron walked forward and sat down next to Harry firing questions at him without paying much attention to her.</p><p>She felt out of place with the three of them and decided that retreating was the better part of valour and made for the door to give them some time to discuss whatever had happened the night before. She only knew that You-Know-Who was dead and had somehow returned. She was lost in thought when she felt a hand grabbing her arm.</p><p>“So?” Hermione asked.</p><p>“I don’t know,” Katie smiled sadly. “He’s right. He just watched Cedric die and apparently You-Know-Who is back.”</p><p>“Oh,” Hermione said. “So that’s what happened.”</p><p>“That’s all?” Katie whispered.</p><p>“It was going to happen sooner or later,” Hermione shrugged. “We have known about it since our first year. Professor Dumbledore too.”</p><p>“Why haven’t you told anyone?” Katie hissed.</p><p>“Would you have believed it?” Hermione asked.</p><p>“No,” Katie said. “Probably not.”</p><p>“But you do now?” Hermione couldn’t completely hide the surprise.</p><p>“Harry doesn’t lie, does he?” Katie asked.</p><p>“No,” Hermione said. “He doesn’t tell you everything either, but what he tells you is always true.”</p><p>“And that is why I believe him,” Katie said. “I should go.”</p><p>“Stay,” a voice she hadn’t expected to hear came from behind her. “I want you to stay.”</p><p>Katie turned around with a befuddled look on her face. Harry had just asked her to stay when she was certain that he didn’t want anything to do with her.</p><p>“Also, to your question,” Harry said. “I’d like to try at least.”</p><p>Hermione beamed at Katie who herself ended up having a rather silly smile on her face. She hadn’t expected Harry to want her to stay. He hadn’t said that he fancied her, but he was willing to try and that was more than she had expected.</p><p>Katie pulled over a chair and sat on the opposite side of Harry’s bed from Ron and just listened mostly. She wanted to know more about what had happened last night, but it didn’t look like Harry wanted to talk about it even if Ron asked. Instead Hermione tried steering the conversation to older less raw adventures and Katie was involuntarily a <em>very </em>good listener. She gasped at the right times, she laughed at the right times, she asked questions at the right times. Ron was the one who spoke the most but sometimes Harry would add something, or Hermione would. She hadn’t even noticed when she had grabbed Harry’s hand, but she realised she had done it when Hermione had begun smirking at her and Ron had stopped speaking to look at them.</p><p>She quickly pulled her hand to herself and blushed quite impressively. She chanced a look at Harry who was blushing right alongside her. She sent him a small smile before her attention was rudely pulled towards Ron.</p><p>“Since when did you two begin holding hands?” Ron asked.</p><p>Hermione just rolled her eyes before smacking Ron in the back of his head muttering about the emotional range of a teaspoon. Harry just chuckled and explained that it was completely new and they were still trying to figure it all out.</p><p>Katie giggled when Hermione was forced to block Ron’s mouth before he started asking more stupid and insensitive questions. She gave them a smile before she pulled at his arm and told them that they would be seeing Harry and Katie at the feast.</p><p>“So,” Katie said. “I should go.”</p><p>“You are welcome to stay,” Harry said. “I enjoy your company and Madam Pomfrey is not going to allow me to leave until absolutely necessary.”</p><p>“You are quite right, Mr. Potter,” the matron said. “How are you feeling?”</p><p>“Like an Acromantula bit my leg and a madman cut my forearm,” Harry said.</p><p>“Quite,” Madam Pomfrey said. “You look well enough as it is.”</p><p>“Then I’m leaving,” Harry said. “I still need to pack.”</p><p>“Miss Bell,” Madam Pomfrey said. “Could I task you to make sure that this idiot doesn’t get into more trouble?”</p><p>“I’m not an idiot,” Harry said indignantly.</p><p>“I’ll be the judge of that,” Madam Pomfrey said. “Now go.”</p><p>Harry and Katie spent the rest of their day under a tree on the grounds just talking to each other about anything really. Katie had noticed that she did most of the talking but considering what she had heard earlier it wasn’t surprising that Harry wasn’t feeling up to telling her anything about himself right now. She spoke about her parents and what they did and how her Dad apparently had had quite the shock when he had found out that Katie’s Mum was a witch. She was an only child and she had enjoyed getting adopted by Angelina and Alicia.</p><p>They had been interrupted right before the feast by Fudge who begrudgingly gave Harry the prize money for winning the tournament and a scathing comment about Harry being a liar. She had just about been ready to hex the Minister when she had felt a hand on her shoulder.</p><p>“Don’t worry about it,” Harry whispered. “I didn’t expect better.”</p><p>She saw him staring at the sack of gold with an unreadable expression on his face. She felt like she understood him a little. Cedric should have had at least half of that money if she understood Harry at least a little.</p><p>“What am I supposed to do with this?” Harry asked a little hoarsely. “I don’t want it. You take it.”</p><p>“I don’t want it either,” Katie said. “It’s yours.”</p><p>“Maybe I should just throw it away or something,” Harry said with a hint of disgust in his voice.</p><p>“Keep it,” Katie said. “You never know when you find a use for it.”</p><p>“Okay,” Harry had said before tucking it into his robe.</p><p>They had found themselves sitting next to each other at the End of the Year feast. The Great Hall had been decked out in Black colours making it a point that Cedric really was gone. Everyone was mourning him. Katie was a little surprised that Dumbledore would just proclaim that You-Know-Who was back. She believed Harry of course but telling everyone like that would make everybody turn to Harry for the whole story.</p><p>She felt Harry’s hand under the table, and it was almost painful how much he clenched it around hers. She didn’t blame him for it. She would hate it too if Dumbledore had singled him out like that. It honoured Cedric’s memory sure, but it wasn’t even close to the right way of doing it. What would it help to tell a bunch of kids about it?</p><p>She cautiously looked at Harry to gauge his reaction. He looked more determined than nervous but definitely uncomfortable as well. He really showed a lot more emotion on his face than you would imagine him doing. She was surprised to find that him being determined made her more relaxed than it had any right to do.</p><p>“It’ll be alright,” Katie whispered in his ear.</p><p>“I know,” Harry said. “I’m just not looking forward to going back.”</p><p>“Why not?” Katie asked.</p><p>She was looking forward to spending a summer with her parents whom she hadn’t seen since Christmas.</p><p>“Never mind,” Harry said. “I just have a hard time knowing stuff where I stay.”</p><p>“Oh,” Katie said. “Alright.”</p><p>She noticed that Harry ate a little less than he normally would, and his muscles had gotten tense around his shoulders. They walked in a big group down to the carriages in silence. Ron and Hermione were arguing about something in a hushed whisper. The Twins were discussing some prank item or other that they wanted to try and make. She still couldn’t quite understand how two so brilliant wizards had only gotten three O.W.L.s each. She had been discussing her summer plans with her friend Leanne. Angelina and Alicia were planning to go flying and had invited her along if she had the time. She was just about ask Harry what his plans were when she saw the look on his face. He had sunken into himself and he was keeping a rather resigned expression on his face.</p><p>She ran a finger along the back of his hand to tell him that she was there if he wanted to talk about it and she got a small smile for her troubles. She did like him better when he smiled.</p><p>When they arrived at the train with their trunks in tow Katie looked around. There was no way this large of a group of people could sit in one compartment. It was already getting stuffy when it was just Fred and George with Angelina and Alicia, though that might have had more to do with the fact that they weren’t shy about public displays of affection. Then there was Leanne and her who usually sat with some of her year mates it was fine, but she also wanted to sit with Harry right now. She wasn’t sure when she was going to see him again.</p><p>She was getting rather frustrated when she heard a small voice beside her ear.</p><p>“Don’t worry about it,” Harry whispered. “You can pick who we sit with. I want to spend the train trip with you.”</p><p>“But what about everybody else?” Katie asked. “We can’t all fit into one compartment.”</p><p>“Never fear, little Bell,” One of the twins exclaimed.</p><p>“We will just stretch the entire compartment,” The other one said.</p><p>“Can you do that?!” Hermione squealed.</p><p>“Of course,” Fred said, yeah definitely Fred.</p><p>“We have become quite good at it since last summer,” George said. “We had to stretch our wardrobe to fit all of our products. Don’t tell Mum though. We have it locked specifically so only Fred and I can get into it.”</p><p>“Wow,” Angelina said. “That’s actually impressive. How in the hell did you two only get three O.W.L.s each?”</p><p>The Twins just shrugged in unison.</p><p>“But that isn’t what is interesting, Angie dear,” Fred said.</p><p>“What is interesting however is why our dear Katiekins keeps running her finger up and down our dear Harrykins’ hand?” George said.</p><p>“Are you two dating?” Alicia asked bluntly.</p><p>Harry and Katie stopped in their tracks while the whole group turned around to look at them. They looked at each other and blushed furiously. Harry whatever came over him just grabbed her hand fully and smirked at the Twins.</p><p>“We are trying to figure it out,” he said in a small voice.</p><p>The Twins’ woops were cut short by a couple of quickly fired silencing charms. Angelina and Alicia just smiled indulgently at their boyfriends before grabbing one each by the ear and pulling them into the train.</p><p>Ron and Hermione soon followed after them. Hermione practically dragging Ron behind her so she didn’t miss how the Twins were going to extend the compartment to fit them all better.</p><p>Harry and Katie turned their head to Leanne who had an unreadable expression on her face.</p><p>“Since when?” she asked a little coldly.</p><p>“Since noon,” Katie said calmly.</p><p>“Oh,” Leanne smiled. “I thought maybe.”</p><p>“I wouldn’t keep anything secret from you,” Katie said softly. “I just told him that I fancied him earlier today. We decided to give it a try to see if there was something more. It’s been… fun so far.”</p><p>“Have you kissed yet?” Leanne asked.</p><p>“I should probably go,” Harry said awkwardly.</p><p>“Stay,” Katie said softly. “If I am going to suffer through Leanne’s cross examination then so are you.”</p><p>“Could I not?” Harry almost whimpered.</p><p>“No,” Katie giggled. “And no we haven’t kissed yet.”</p><p>“Yet?” Harry asked with a lifted eyebrow.</p><p>“When you find out that you fancy me, I’ll be more than happy to see how you kiss,” Katie said.</p><p>“Not if?” Harry asked.</p><p>“Have you seen me?” Katie asked rhetorically. “I’m very fanciable.”</p><p>“True, true,” Harry chuckled. “So that kiss?”</p><p>“Horny teenagers,” Leanne muttered. “So, Lee?”</p><p>“Never was all that interested,” Katie shrugged. “Lee’s a good friend but not my type.”</p><p>“So, you wouldn’t mind if I tried?” Leanne asked.</p><p>“Not in the slightest,” Katie said. “Go for it.”</p><p>“Is this how you do it?” Harry asked.</p><p>“Do what?” Katie asked.</p><p>“Just decide what witch gets which wizard?” Harry asked.</p><p>“Yeah,” Katie teased. “I got permission from Hermione.”</p><p>“Why Hermione?” Harry asked.</p><p>“She kind of looked like she was the one closest to becoming something more than a friend,” Katie shrugged. “So I asked her if she was interested in you or if I could take a shot.”</p><p>“Hermione sold me?” Harry asked bemusedly.</p><p>“I guess,” Katie giggled. “Hopefully, you don’t mind.”</p><p>“Depends on when I am getting that kiss,” Harry said.</p><p>Katie placed her hands at the collar of his shirt and pulled his face to hers and planted her lips on his. She smirked while blushing when Harry started stammering after she released him.</p><p>“Well,” Leanne said teasingly. “I don’t think I am needed here anymore.”</p><p>“Wow…” was all Harry managed to say before Katie pulled him and her trunk after Leanne who was giggling while looking for their shared compartment.</p><p>Katie still felt a little stupid for having kissed him before he had specifically told her that he fancied her as well, but what is done is done. Also, it might have been just the right thing to keep his head away from whatever was bothering him. She wanted to keep to her promise of not pushing Harry to tell her stuff. From what she knew Harry had had a much harder life than anyone had imagined.</p><p>The train ride back was rather uninteresting. Katie had been just as impressed by what Fred and George had done to the compartment as everybody else. Malfoy had come along but he had been thrown out before he even had a chance to say anything by the Twins. She enjoyed the fact that she could hold Harry’s hand as they engaged in all sorts of conversations. She even got to meet Harry’s snow-white owl Hedwig, which might just be the most beautiful bird in the world.</p><p>“Don’t tell her that too often,” Harry said. “She’ll get too big for her feathers.”</p><p>The indignant hoot Harry had gotten in return looked suspiciously like the faces Fred and George would have when they wanted to prank you. She just shook her head at owner and pet not quite sure who was who in that relationship.</p><p>Katie almost wanted the train ride to last longer when the train slowed down and arrived at the station. She said goodbye to Leanne, Angelina and Alicia who left first. Then Ron got pulled out by Hermione. Fred and George were just about to leave when Harry called out to them.</p><p>“On second guys,” Harry said.</p><p>Katie watched as Harry pulled down his trunk and pulled out the bag she had seen the Minister give him. That was his winnings for the Tri-Wizard Tournament.</p><p>“Take it,” Harry said.</p><p>“We can’t,” Fred shook his head. “It’s yours.”</p><p>“Yeah,” George said. “We really couldn’t take it.”</p><p>“Take it,” Harry said forcefully. “Or else I am just going to pour it out in the toilet or maybe throw it in a garbage can.”</p><p>“What about Katie?” Fred asked.</p><p>“I don’t want it either,” Katie said.</p><p>“Look guys,” Harry said. “You have a dream about opening that joke shop. Think of it as an investment. I have a feeling that we could really use a good laugh in the coming days.”</p><p>“Is he mental?” Fred asked.</p><p>“Completely mad,” George said weighing the bag in his hand. “How much is it?”</p><p>“A thousand galleons,” Harry said. “Just take it. Oh, and buy Ron some new Dress robes. Those were truly ghastly.”</p><p>“Got it,” Fred said. “Thank you.”</p><p>“Yeah,” George said. “Thank you.”</p><p>“You’re welcome,” Harry said.</p><p>Harry and Katie watched as they walked out. Harry turned to help get her trunk off the overhead storage and pulled it down.</p><p>“That was really nice of you,” Katie said.</p><p>“I have more than enough Galleons for me to finish school and probably a year or two after that,” Harry shrugged. “I don’t need it nearly as much as they do. They are clearly geniuses.”</p><p>Harry waved at the slowly shrinking compartment. There was no fear of them getting crushed, but the magic had held on until they arrived at the station.</p><p>“Yeah,” Katie said. “Mrs. Weasley is not going to be a fan of yours.”</p><p>“Oh shit,” Harry paled.</p><p>“Don’t worry,” Katie giggled. “They aren’t going to tell.”</p><p>“I hope not,” Harry said. “It’s not just her… Ron can get jealous too. It’s why I didn’t want to give it to him. He would think that I took pity on him.”</p><p>“You are smarter than you let people think,” Katie said.</p><p>“Probably,” Harry shrugged. “Growing up like I did you learned how to pick up on it. Fred and George will be grateful, and I think I might just have become a third part of their joke shop, but they will use the money for their dream; not squander it on nothing. It’s worth it.”</p><p>“I think you are right,” Katie said.</p><p>“Shall we?” Harry asked.</p><p>“Right,” Katie hesitated.</p><p>“What is it?” Harry asked.</p><p>Katie pulled on his head once more and kissed him deeply before letting him go.</p><p>“Wow,” Harry said with a smile.</p><p>“Yeah,” Katie agreed.</p><p>They walked out of the train. Harry made his way towards the exit and disappeared from everybody’s view.</p><p>Katie followed him with her eyes and only just then realized. She ran towards Fred and George and grabbed their arms hard.</p><p>“Ouch,” Fred said.</p><p>“What’s up?” George asked.</p><p>“Do you two know where Harry lives?!”</p>
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